Payroll and Benefits Specialist

Payroll and benefits Specialist

Manchester City Centre

9 Month FTC

Hybrid working offered (1 day office based) and flexible

Salary - Competitive plus benefits

Medlock Partners are delighted to be partnering with a leading Services business who are looking for additional support as they transition onto a leading Payroll system. Working alongside other specialists, this role is responsible for ensuring the smooth, accurate, and compliant delivery of payroll and benefits services across the business. You’ll take ownership of payroll processing, controls, reporting, and continuous improvement, while acting as a subject matter expert for payroll-related matters.

Key Responsibilities of the Payroll and benefits Specialist:

• Manage end-to-end payroll processing across (UK and Ireland) including expenses
• Complete payroll checks, controls, and validations, ensuring accuracy prior to approval
• Maintain compliance with payroll, taxation, and pension legislation
• Manage the payroll inbox, responding to employee and stakeholder queries
• Work closely with the Reward, Payroll & HR Operations Manager and wider HR team on benefits administration, renewals, negotiations, and new offerings
• Maintain clear, up-to-date payroll process documentation and guidance notes
• Ensure payroll systems and data are accurate, fit for purpose, and fully utilised
• Support and drive improvements to payroll and benefits processes, including system enhancements and efficiencies
• Act as the payroll subject matter expert on projects and initiatives
• Manage payroll suppliers, ensuring services and data meet contractual standards
• Proactively identify and resolve payroll issues before they impact delivery
• Produce monthly payroll and benefits reporting to support analysis and decision-making
• Complete regular benefit audits and ensure data accuracy
• Stay up to date with legislative changes and best practice in payroll and benefits

Key requirements of the Payroll and benefits Specialist:

• Strong understanding of payroll, taxation, and pension legislation
• Proven experience processing payroll and performing output checks
• Sound knowledge of accounting principles and their application to payroll
• Exposure to international payrolls is desirable
• Excellent IT skills, particularly Excel and HR/payroll systems
• Confident communicator with the ability to work independently and collaboratively
• Highly organised with strong prioritisation and multitasking skills
• Able to analyse and present payroll data to inform decisions
• Strong stakeholder management and customer-focused approach
• Proactive problem-solver with a continuous improvement mindset
• Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy in data handling

If you are interested in this position and feel your experience matches the criteria, then please for immediate consideration or for more information please contact Andrew Davison.

Medlock Partners are a professional services recruitment specialist operating across the Northwest of England. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds and circumstances, including minorities and those with disabilities. Please note our advertisements use years' experience and salary levels purely as a guide. We are happy to consider applications from all candidates who are able to demonstrate the skills necessary to fulfil the role. If you do not hear from us within 48 hours please assume that your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.